"8 Million Strong and Voting!" Small business is the heart beat of the United States economy. This blog searches for issues and answers to helping small business survive and thrive in California and the United States.

Friday, December 10, 2010

Employer request/ Graves Named as Chair of House Small Business Committee/ Annual Survey

Small Business California prides itself on representing the voice of grass roots California small businesses. We consistently ask that policymakers contact us when they are developing policy.

What are you doing in the area of flexible work hours?

Are you familiar with EDD’s Paid Family Sick Leave? Have your employees used it? Do you support it?

TWO REQUESTS: DOL Forum in LA on Workplace Flexibility

The US Department of Labor Women’s Bureau is interested in documenting employer best practices in the area of workplace flexibility, and is looking for employers to speak about their programs at a national conference in Los Angeles, CA in mid-February.

This conference is a follow up to the White House Forum on Workplace Flexibility held last March in Washington, DC. At that forum the White House Council of Economic Advisors released a report entitled Work-Life Balance and the Economics of Workplace Flexibility. The report highlights changes in American society over the past half century, including the increased number of women entering the labor force, the prevalence of families where all adults work, increasing eldercare responsibilities, and the rising importance of continuing education.

The DOL Conference in LA will bring together a diverse, accomplished group from academia, labor, government, media, non-profits, and business to focus on this issue and its implementation at all levels. The first forum took place in Dallas on October 20th, and the second forum will be in Los Angeles. The forum in Los Angeles will focus on the issue of flexibility for hourly wage workers, particularly those in the lower paying occupations.

The invitation-only event will take place in mid February 2011. The audience will comprise 300 work-life advocates and representatives from businesses, academia, associations, government agencies, unions and nonprofits that work with women and girls.

If you have a best practice you’d like to share with the Department of Labor, or, if you’d like an invitation to the event to learn more respond to shauge@cal-insure.com

SECOND REQUEST: State’s Paid Family Leave Program

We are looking for employers who have had a good experience with EDD’s Paid Family Leave program and who may be willing to talk to press or others about this. The Paid Family Leave program provides wage replacement through the State Disability Insurance (SDI) program to employees when they take time to bond with a new child or to care for a seriously ill family member. It is entirely employee paid through SDI. Do you support this and have you had good experience with it.

Republican Sam Graves was named as the Chair of the House Small Business Committee. Mr Graves is from Missouri and currently serves as ranking Republican in the Small Business Committee. He will be replacing Democrat Nydia Valazquez. .

Small Business California will be sending out our annual survey next month. This year we had over 2700 small business people respond. The survey has gotten good media coverage in the past and hope to do even better next year. Please let me know if you would be willing to distribute our survey. As this email goes to over 100 associations I am particularly interested in your distributing but anyone with an email distribution list would be helpful.

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Small Business California is a proactive, non-partisan business advocate whose only agenda is the well being of California’s 3.2 million small businesses. Working for all small businesses for a better business environment, SB-Cal is responsive to the needs of small business owners.
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